WILSON’S MILLS, NORTH CAROLINA, US — When a flour mill is located in a region with a booming population, a decision to expand production capacity is almost inevitable.

Andrew Rutter, commercial manager for Bartlett, said the influx of people in such a short period drove the decision to add a third milling line at the company’s Wilson’s Mills facility, which is 25 miles to the southeast of Raleigh, North Carolina, US, in a scenic, heavily wooded area.

The plant, which was built in 2000 and owned by Mid-State Milling until Bartlett, a Savage Company, bought it in 2007, was constructed with future expansion in mind. A second milling line (B mill) was added in 2012, increasing flour production capacity to 15,000 cwts from 10,000 cwts. The third milling line (C mill) began operating in the spring of 2023, about 18 months after the $28 million expansion project began.

Now at 20,000 cwts of milling capacity, Bartlett’s Wilson’s Mills facility ranks as the 23rd largest flour mill in North America, according to Sosland Publishing Co.’s 2024 Grain & Milling Annual.

Read the article in the January edition of World Grain.